Anode-Integrated GaN Field Emitter Arrays for Compact Vacuum Transistors

Abstract

Field-emission-based vacuum transistors have been proposed as promising candidates for future high-power and harsh-environment electronic devices. However, the lack of an integrated anode is still an issue for vertical field-emission vacuum transistors for some applications such as radiation-hard vacuum electronic-based circuits. In this work, an anode-integration technology enabled by tilted metal deposition is proposed and experimentally demonstrated on GaN gated field emitter arrays (FEAs). Full transistor prototypes with a 103 on-off ratio in anode current are demonstrated. This process is compatible with gated FEAs of various materials, the vacuum channel can be sealed during fabrication, and the vacuum channel length can be controlled via multiple process parameters.